Into ShadowClan
by it-will-be-anarchy
Summary: The story of Tawnypelt when she went to ShadowClan. Contains TawnyX--Rowan, Smoke, Thorn, Bracken, Snow, Storm, Black. Wow. Includes the Rowanclaw gender-switch as a freak accident. Rated T cuz I don't know what to rate it. ON HIATUS
1. Allegiances

**This is my new story, about what happened when Tawnypelt went to ShadowClan. ENJOY! Please, though, DON'T REVIEW. It's for a reason, but don't ask.**

ShadowClan

Leader-Tigerstar

Deputy-Blackfoot

Medicine Cat-Runningnose

Warriors-Oakfur

Apprentice, Tawnypaw

Littlecloud

Boulder

Apprentice, Smokepaw

Russetfur

Apprentice, Cedarpaw

Jaggedtooth

Apprentice, Rowanpaw

Kinkfur

Queens-Tallpoppy

Brightflower

ThunderClan

Leader-Firestar

Apprentice, Bramblepaw

Deputy-Whitestorm

Medicine Cat-Cinderpelt

Warriors-Darkstripe

Apprentice, Fernpaw

Longtail

Mousefur

Apprentice, Thornpaw

Brackenfur

Dustpelt

Apprentice, Ashpaw

Sandstorm

Graystripe

Frostfur

Goldenflower

Cloudtail

Brightheart

Queens-Willowpelt

Elders-One-eye

Smallear

Dappletail

Speckletail

WindClan

Leader-Tallstar

Deputy-Deadfoot

Medicine Cat-Barkface

Warriors-Mudclaw

Webfoot

Tornear

Onewhisker

Apprentice, Gorsepaw

Runningbrook

Queens-Ashfoot

Morningflower

Whitetail

RiverClan

Leader-Leopardstar

Deputy-Stonefur

Apprentice, Stormpaw

Medicine Cat-Mudfur

Warriors-Blackclaw

Heavystep

Apprentice, Dawnpaw

Shadepelt

Mistyfoot

Apprentice, Featherpaw

Loudbelly

Queens-Mosspelt

**Okay, here are the allegiances. I know Kinkfur didn't come into existence until The Sight, but I wanted someone proven and an awesome name. Remember, DON'T REVIEW.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Still, don't review. Here you go.  
**

**Tawnypaw's POV**

Tawnypaw struggled over the Thunderpath into ShadowClan territory. She had just ran away from ThunderClan. _They don't respect me, _Tawnypaw thought savagely. _ShadowClan will be better. I won't be judged by Tigerstar. I'll be judged because I'm me._

Still, Tawnypaw could not quell feelings that she was not doing the right thing. _I'm leaving Goldenflower. I'm leaving Bramblepaw. I'm leaving the place where Snowkit was. _Snowkit...the thought of him still filled Tawnypaw with sadness.

Rain poured down from the sky. Tawnypaw stumbled through the ShadowClan scent marks. _They still smell yucky, _she thought. But she would have to get used to it, if she was going to become a ShadowClan cat. She wasn't afraid that she wouldn't make it in. Her father had been trying to get her to come all along anyway.

Tawnypaw caught a mouse and devoured it hungrily. She hadn't eaten anything since the day before, because apparently she had disrespected Smallear, and she wasn't allowed to eat anything.

Tawnypaw finished her mouse and nestled into the roots of a tall pine tree. _There's no more oaks and maples around here, _Tawnypaw thought sadly. The cats she would miss began to tick off in her head. _Goldenflower. Bramblepaw. Brackenfur. Speckletail. Sandstorm. Brightheart. Cloudtail, even. Fernpaw. Thornpaw..._

Something about Thornpaw made her stop. Though, maybe it wasn't Thornpaw. Maybe it was the rustling noise she heard.

"ThunderClan intruder!" a voice yowled, and before Tawnypaw could show herself, the voice let out a vicious caterwaul, and something heavy landed on her back.

"Get off me!" Tawnypaw grunted, and threw off the attacker. She twirled around, ready to defend herself against another attack. The cat ran at her, and she used a few ThunderClan fighting moves to confuse him. He was obviously an apprentice, because he wasn't that good.

"Who are you?" the cat, a smoky black tom, demanded, his amber eyes gleaming.

"I'm Tigerstar's daughter," Tawnypaw meowed proudly, lifting her head high. "I'm Tawnypaw."

The black tom gasped, and he fell to the ground. He lowered his head, in a sign of deepest respect and surrender. "Tigerstar's daughter..." he whispered hoarsely. "Tigerstar's daughter!"

"Yes, I'm Tigerstar's daughter," Tawnypaw snapped.

The cat scrambled to his paws, his head still bowed. "May I have the honor of escorting you to camp?" he meowed regally.

Tawnypaw snorted. "You don't have to speak all fancy around me. What's your name?"

The cat mumbled something.

"What?" Tawnypaw hissed.

"I said Smokepaw," the cat yowled angrily, his head shooting up to glare at Tawnypaw. His eyes blazed like amber fire. Suddenly, he seemed to realize how disrespectful he'd been, because he fell to the ground again and meowed, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I was so rude!"

"Calm down," Tawnypaw meowed gruffly, nudging him to his paws. "I said, you don't have to be all fancy in front of me."

"Okay," Smokepaw meowed shakily, still not looking up.

"Look at me!" Tawnypaw snapped.

Smokepaw looked her in the eyes. Tawnypaw was startled by the color of his eyes. They were such a deep, understanding amber, not even close to the hard amber that was her father's, or the soft amber that was her brother's. They seemed to reach into her, to read her.

"Why are you here?" Smokepaw asked, still nearly paralyzing Tawnypaw with his gaze.

"Because," Tawnypaw mewed, breaking their eye contact and instead focusing on a tree behind him, "I want to join ShadowClan."

Smokepaw's eyes widened, but he said nothing, and instead started trotting briskly towards what must be their camp. Tawnypaw hurried to follow him.

They came upon the crest of a ridge, and Tawnypaw gasped. There was the camp. And it was nothing like she had imagined.

She had imagined some grand camp, like ThunderClan. But it was not so. There were dens. There was a fresh-kill pile. And that was it.

"Where's all the stuff?" Tawnypaw stammered.

Smokepaw looked at her like she was crazy. "What stuff?" he asked.

"You know, the..." But Tawnypaw realized that she couldn't say what. There would be no Highrock here. She realized that everything a camp needed was here, and that ThunderClan really didn't have more. It just looked so empty.

"Come on, we need to find Tigerstar," Smokepaw meowed tonelessly, and he leapt down a ridge into the camp. Tawnypaw stumbled after him.

A strange cat with fur that stuck out everywhere came and looked at her oddly. "Who's this, Smokepaw?" he growled.

"This is Tawnypaw," Smokepaw replied, flicking his tail across Tawnypaw's shoulder. "Tigerstar's daughter. She wants to join the Clan."

The cat gasped. "Smokepaw, show more respect!" he meowed, sounding panicked, and he dropped to the ground, his paws splayed out, and he bowed his head.

_Does my father want everyone to look like fools?_

"Kinkfur, get up," Smokepaw meowed scathingly. "She said she didn't want to be treated special."

"No," Kinkfur mumbled. "We must."

"Kinkfur!" Smokepaw meowed exasperatedly.

"Smokepaw!" a voice rumbled.

Smokepaw turned around fearlessly. But then his eyes widened to the roundness of moons, and he fell into the same ridiculous posture as Kinkfur.

"Why weren't you bowing to my daughter?"

Tawnypaw turned to see her father. Her father. For some reason, it seemed to fill her with coldness, but she quickly shook it off. Tigerstar was supposedly evil, but really, was he?

"Tawnypaw," Tigerstar rumbled. Tawnypaw tried to look at his amber eyes the same way she did with Smokepaw's, but instead of understanding and kindness, she found nothing but coldness and stone.

"Father." Tawnypaw dipped her head in greeting.

"This useless lump of a cat deserves to be punished," Tigerstar hissed, and he unsheathed his claws and scored them across Smokepaw's side. Smokepaw started to cry out in pain, but he quickly gritted his teeth and held the rest of it back.

"Father!" Tawnypaw cried. "Why did you do that?"

"He was treating you like a friend," Tigerstar growled.

"But he _is _my friend," Tawnypaw insisted.

"No one is our equal!" Tigerstar yowled. A mad light raged in his eyes, not the same fire in Smokepaw's, but one that pointed to craziness. "We are superior to all cats!"

Tawnypaw started to protest, but with a desperate look from the bleeding Smokepaw, she simply bowed her head and meowed subtly, "Okay."

Tigerstar breathed a little bit, and then he calmed. "Yes. We are better than the others of this Clan. Now, Tawnypaw, I will give you your mentor at once, and then he will show you the apprentices' den, and then you shall sleep."

Tawnypaw was stunned. "Oh-okay," she stuttered.

Tigerstar caterwauled to the Clan, "Everyone, get over here, now! Or you'll have me to answer to!"

Cats began racing out of the dens, and into the camp. There weren't that many, Tawnypaw noticed. Not as many that were in ShadowClan.

"My daughter, Tawnypaw, has decided to join the Clan," Tigerstar meowed. "We need a mentor at once. Oakfur, you shall be the mentor to my precious daughter."

A brown tabby tom stumbled over his feet, then bowed clumsily and meowed, "Yes. Of course, Tigerstar. I will teach her all I know, and more."

_How can you teach more than you know?_

"Good." Tigerstar turned to Tawnypaw. "Now, go and sleep. Oakfur, show her to the apprentices' den."

"Yes. Of course."

**Smokepaw's POV**

Smokepaw watched as Tawnypaw went into the apprentices' den. He had just met her, and yet he could not help but feel strongly for her. Her bright green eyes, her glistening tortoiseshell fur...Smokepaw dearly wished that Tawnypaw hadn't come into the horror that was ShadowClan these days.

**Remember, don't review. But anyway, still enjoy!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Yo, yo, yo, my homies! Here's da next chapter of my Tawnypelt story!**

**Tawnypaw's POV**

Tawnypaw awoke the next morning. She got up and stretched luxuriously, and then she noticed that the camp sounded empty. Confused, she padded out of the apprentices' den and checked all around camp. It was completely deserted, except for a pregnant queen.

"Hello?" Tawnypaw stuck her head into the nursery.

The queen jumped, but then relaxed quickly. "Oh, you must be Tigerstar's daughter. I'm Tallpoppy."

"Hi," Tawnypaw meowed absentmindedly. "Do you know where everyone is?"

Tallpoppy's kind gaze darkened. "They've gone to attack WindClan."

Tawnypaw started. "Why?"

Tallpoppy shrugged. "Don't ask me. Tigerstar was thinking of taking you, but then he decided you needed your sleep."

"Oh." Tawnypaw slowly sat down. "Do you think I made the right choice, coming to ShadowClan?"

Tallpoppy shrugged. "I can't say, since I don't know what ThunderClan is like."

"It's better than this." Tawnypaw looked at the ground. "Do you think I could go back?"

Tallpoppy gasped. "No!"

"Why?"

"Because Tigerstar would hunt you down. He would make ThunderClan's life more miserable than he's already making it."

Understanding hit Tawnypaw. "So..."

"So, if you went back to ThunderClan, you would just be putting the Clan you love in mortal danger."

Tawnypaw scuffled the ground with her forepaws. "Okay. I understand. It's just...I _hate _it here."

Tallpoppy sighed. "Me, too. But again, Tigerstar wouldn't be happy if I went to ThunderClan, even more unhappy if I went with you."

Tawnypaw suddenly straightened. She felt terrible for her father's doings. That this queen had to lie in the nursery full of fear for herself and her kits because of what her father was doing. Tawnypaw couldn't take it.

"We'll just have to take a chance," she meowed.

Tallpoppy looked startled. "What?"

A wicked gleam entered Tawnypaw's eyes. "You are coming to ThunderClan with me."

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"Come on."

"I can't."

"Yes you can, just step over the border."

Tallpoppy took a hesitant step over the border after Tawnypaw.

"Good. Now it's not far to camp."

"I don't think we should be doing this."

"Yes, we should." Tawnypaw was tired of arguing. "It'll lead to a better life for me, you, and your kits."

Tallpoppy's gaze softened at the mention of her kits, then hardened when she realized what Tigerstar could do to their safety. "You're right." With that, Tallpoppy took off as fast as any regular warrior.

Tawnypaw took the lead, and they wound through trees and undergrowth. Finally, they stopped, panting, at the gorse tunnel.

Whitestorm sat guard, and he jumped when he saw Tawnypaw. Then he composed himself. "Tawnypaw?" he hissed.

"Yes, Whitestorm." Tawnypaw was breathless. "Tallpoppy and I want to join ThunderClan."

Whitestorm's eyes widened, but he kept calm. "Are you sure?" he whispered.

"Well..." Now Tawnypaw hesitated. She remembered all the disrespect she had, how Firestar always stared at them like they were as bad as their father. How a lot of the warriors flinched when they came near. How they barely did anything when that hawk came and swiped Snowkit. How Bluestar went crazy. Now Tawnypaw was not sure.

Tallpoppy mouthed to Whitestorm, _She wanted me to come, _and Whitestorm gave the slightest nod. "Are you sure?" he repeated.

Tawnypaw paused, then lowered her head. "No," she whispered. "I'm not."

Suddenly, a familiar golden-brown shape came bounding out of the camp. "Whitestorm!" he gasped. "I thought I scented..."

Then his gaze took in the surrounding cats, and his eyes sparkled with happiness. "Tawnypaw!" he cried.

"Hi, Thornclaw," Tawnypaw meowed in a small voice.

Tallpoppy coughed a bit. Then she mewed, "Well, I'll be heading back to ShadowClan now." She quickly ran away.

Thornclaw's amber eyes seemed to take her all in. Then he meowed dazedly, "You came back."

"No, she didn't," Whitestorm mewed, seeing Tawnypaw's sadness. "She heard that TigerClan was attacking WindClan, and so she came to see if TigerClan was attacking us, too."

Thornclaw looked crestfallen, though Tawnypaw couldn't understand why he cared so much. "I thought you cared about us," he meowed, his voice hard. "I thought that you just made a bad choice in the heat of the moment, and that you regretted it. That you would come back." His voice rose hysterically. "That you would come back!" He whisked around and charged back into the camp.

Tawnypaw was confused. Why was Thornclaw so upset? Whitestorm could read her emotions very easily. He meowed, "You know, he really cared about you."

Tawnypaw suddenly felt dizzy. "He did?" she mewed, her voice filled with dread.

Whitestorm nodded, then added with emphasis, "A lot more than just apprentices training together."

Tawnypaw felt sick. "I'm...I'm going to stay in ShadowClan," she decided. "Please don't tell anyone I was here."

Whitestorm gave her a knowing look. "I'll tell your mother that I had a feeling you were okay."

"That's fine," Tawnypaw meowed quickly, and ran off. Thoughts swirled in her head, all about Thornclaw. All the times they'd had training as apprentices, and she just thought that the gleam in his eyes was friendship, not anything more.

**For some reason, I love writing romance. Don't ask why. REVIEW!!!!!!!!!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Thanks to wolf with panther eyes for reviewing! Anyway, still review...and okay then.**

**Tawnypaw's POV**

Tawnypaw decided that she wanted to go to the WindClan battle. She didn't know why, she just had this feeling that something terrible was happening. She lengthened her stride until she was practically eating up the ground. ThunderClan territory flashed by until she was running through Fourtrees, then moorland. Yowls of pain and terror sliced through the air.

Tawnypaw came over a rise and looked down into what was the WindClan camp. She saw RiverClan and ShadowClan cats attacking all the skinny WindClan cats. Horror cut through her, and she leapt down into the fray, looking for her father. There. His huge dark tabby body was unmistakable. He was on top of a ginger-and-white apprentice whose eyes were glazed with fear.

"Father!" Tawnypaw yowled. "No!" She bounded toward him, just as he tore out the poor apprentice's throat.

"No!" Tawnypaw rammed into Tigerstar, desperately trying to stop him, but it was too late. The damage was done. The apprentice convulsed, his life's blood flowing out of him. Finally, his eyes clouded, and he stilled.

"Gorsepaw!" a queen yowled.

"Tawnypaw!" Tigerstar hissed. "Why are you here?"

"To stop you!" Tawnypaw gasped.

"You dare defy me?" Tigerstar rose to his full height, his amber eyes glinting with cold fury.

"Don't do this!" Tawnypaw wailed. "Don't kill these innocent cats!"

"Get out of the way, Tawnypaw," Tigerstar growled. He swatted her away easily, and she fell to the ground, blackness threatening to take over her vision.

Tigerstar turned to face the gaping WindClan warriors. "I told you I would kill him if you refused to join me," he yowled madly.

A brown tabby tom pushed his way through the ShadowClan warriors surrounding Tigerstar. "You crazy piece of fox dung!" he caterwauled. "You deserve to die!"

Tawnypaw's vision became fuzzy. _Deserve to die? _she thought. _Does anyone deserve to die?_

Tawnypaw blacked out.

**Rowanpaw's POV**

Rowanpaw helped Cedarpaw and Smokepaw carry the unconscious Tawnypaw home. She felt for Tawnypaw; she just hadn't learned TigerClan ways yet. She was still all caught up in LionClan.

Rowanpaw shifted so Tawnypaw didn't fall off her back. "You okay?" Cedarpaw grunted.

"It's just..." Rowanpaw hesitated, then finished, "I just don't think Tawnypaw will adapt to ShadowClan and TigerClan ways. I mean, she thought that the hill of bones was vicious."

"Because it was," Smokepaw pointed out. He could say these things because the rest of the ShadowClan attack patrol was far ahead, splitting away from RiverClan.

"True," Rowanpaw admitted. "But she _attacked Tigerstar. _That's a major problem right there. She's defying Tigerstar."

"You know, I keep thinking," Smokepaw meowed suddenly. "Where was Tigerstar those two days he was missing?"

"Why are you suddenly bringing that up?" Cedarpaw growled.

"I don't know." Smokepaw looked thoughtful. "It's just...it's nagging my brain that it's important, though I don't know why it would be."

"Maybe it is important," Rowanpaw mewed. Tigerstar was missing; so what? He had a lot of important things to do, as a leader and stuff. Maybe he was off threatening ThunderClan or something. Not that Rowanpaw wanted that, but she just had the same terrible feeling that his absence at that time was important.

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**Tawnypaw's POV**

_Tawnypaw awoke to see the roof of a cave.  
_

_"Cinderpelt?" she croaked._

_"Oh good, you're awake." Tawnypaw turned her head to see Cinderpelt bustling about_. _"You sure took a good hit when that hawk came after you."_

_"Hawk?" Tawnypaw asked. She could barely remember anything. Just running through the forest...she was mad at ThunderClan..._

_"Yes, hawk. You were running through the forest after StarClan knows what, and you came to a clearing when a hawk came after you. I guess you fought it off, but it smacked your head a good one before it was through. You've been unconscious for a few sunrises. Brackenfur's been beside himself with worry."_

_"Brackenfur?" Tawnypaw meowed wonderingly._

_"Yes, Brackenfur. And also Thornclaw's been checking on you a lot lately. I guess he feels pretty responsible for what happened, because he had been with you."_

_"Why was Thornclaw with me?" Tawnypaw asked. Something nagged the edge of her mind._

_"I think Brackenfur asked him. Brackenfur was still all worried about Sorrelkit, and you wanted to go out, so he asked Thornclaw." Cinderpelt shook her head. "My brothers worry too much, if you ask me. I'm a medicine cat, I'll tell them if something's wrong."_

_Tawnypaw struggled to remember anything. Smallear was insulting her...and she was running away...to...ShadowClan! Memories flooded back to her. ShadowClan. She joined ShadowClan after running into Smokepaw. Her father was a tyrant...she tried to go back to ThunderClan..._

_"Am I really here, Cinderpelt?" she asked._

_Cinderpelt looked at her worriedly. "Why wouldn't you be?"_

_"Because I'm in ShadowClan."_

Immediately, everything melted away, and Tawnypaw awoke to see the roof of a different cave.

"Great StarClan, you're awake!" Runningnose exclaimed. "You've been out for a little while. I was worried there."

"What happened?" Tawnypaw asked.

"You went to the WindClan battle," Runningnose meowed quietly. "You tried to stop Tigerstar from killing Gorsepaw."

_Gorsepaw! _Tawnypaw felt sadness tighten her throat. She should have tried harder...if she had, Gorsepaw would still be alive...was it her fault?

Runningnose seemed to read her. "It's not your fault," he meowed gently. "You didn't want Tigerstar to kill him."

"I want to go back to ThunderClan," Tawnypaw meowed, her voice quavering. "I hate this brutality!"

"It's too late for that," Runningnose mewed softly. "If you went back, you'd only be putting your Clanmates in danger."

_How many times have I heard that? _Tawnypaw thought. She wanted to go and check on WindClan right now, to make sure no one else had died. But she didn't dare leave camp. Tigerstar was probably furious at her as it was; she didn't need any more trouble.

"You have visitors," Runningnose meowed tartly. Tawnypaw raised her head. Smokepaw, Rowanpaw, and a very gruff-looking Cedarpaw shuffled inside the cramped den.

"No more than a few moments," Runningnose mewed crisply. "She doesn't need any excitement. That whack on the head didn't do her any good, that's for sure."

"Hi, Tawnypaw," Smokepaw meowed quietly.

Cedarpaw grunted.

Rowanpaw didn't show so much restraint. She threw herself next to Tawnypaw and began licking her ears furiously. "We were so worried!" she meowed angrily. "You were out so cold we would've thought you were dead if your heart wasn't beating! I can't believe you attacked Tigerstar! Don't _ever _do that!"

"Okay, okay," Tawnypaw laughed, sliding away from Rowanpaw. "Seriously, you sound like Goldenflower."

Rowanpaw immediately stopped. She stepped back next to Smokepaw and Cedarpaw. "We're not allowed to mention...her name," Rowanpaw mewed, sounding scared.

"Goldenflower?" Tawnypaw asked.

"Stop it!" Smokepaw hissed. "No, we can't mention her name."

"Why?"

"Because," Cedarpaw growled. "That's why."

Tawnypaw was still confused. Was ShadowClan always like this? When Nightstar had been leader? When Brokenstar had been leader?

Rowanpaw put on a face of forced happiness. "It's okay. Tawnypaw didn't know. The main thing is that Tawnypaw's awake. That's all there is to it."

Tawnypaw didn't think that was it, but she didn't want to pressure her...dare she call them friends?

"I'm sure Tigerstar will be happy to see you awake," Smokepaw tried.

Cedarpaw snorted. "That's being optimistic."

Smokepaw turned and growled at him. "Sometimes the world needs a little optimism, contrary to your pessimistic ways!"

Tawnypaw and Rowanpaw _mrrowed _with laughter.

"What?" Smokepaw meowed defensively.

"Fine then. Tawnypaw, Oakfur wants you up and ready to train as soon as possible." Cedarpaw then stalked out of the den.

Rowanpaw sighed. "He's so...Cedarpaw. But yet...."

Rowanpaw's eyes shone with admiration. A wave of understanding crashed on Tawnypaw.

"You like him!" she teased.

Smokepaw gasped sarcastically. "Like we didn't know that. It's always 'Hi, Cedarpaw!' and 'Cedarpaw, can I hang out with you?' and 'Cedarpaw this, Cedarpaw that'!"

Tawnypaw felt heat waves of embarrassment coming off Rowanpaw. "I don't say it like _that!_"

Smokepaw flicked his tail in a she-cat-like fashion. "Whatever." He bounded over to the apprentices' den.

"Smokepaw, I'm not finished with you!" Rowanpaw yowled furiously, and tore after him.

Tawnypaw laughed a bit. Even with all the tyranny and submission, there were a few cats who hadn't totally given in to her father. Maybe she could learn to like it in ShadowClan.

**There we have it. I haven't updated this story in a while, I've been working on my Story of Echostar a lot. Well, REVIEW, PLEEEEEAAASE!!! I need reviews to keep me HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!**

**3 Wildshadow24  
**


	5. Chapter 4

**Okay, I'm getting bored of the 100 Tales Challenge right now. So, I'm continuing this, 'cause I haven't updated in a bit. Soooo...thanks to anyone who might've reviewed, but I don't remember your names right now, so. Just read and enjoy!!!!!!!!**

**Tawnypaw's POV  
**

Tawnypaw stepped out of the medicine cat's den and stretched. The day before had been tragic, but Tawnypaw was willing to give ShadowClan another chance. She still missed ThunderClan, but she couldn't get over how no one could forget she was Tigerstar's daughter.

Her thoughts drifted to Brackenfur, her former mentor. He was so different from Oakfur. Brackenfur trained with patience and understanding, while Oakfur trained her with little tolerance and the goal to make her the best out of the four apprentices. Tawnypaw still sort of missed Brackenfur, though he always seemed distracted with the fear that Sorrelkit might somehow die.

Tawnypaw made her way into the nursery, where Tallpoppy was awake.

"Hi, Tallpoppy," Tawnypaw meowed quietly, settling down into the soft moss.

Tallpoppy struggled into a sitting position, her round belly making it hard to move. "Hello, Tawnypaw. What brings you here today?"

Tawnypaw tipped her head. "I...I don't know. I just feel...strange."

Tallpoppy shifted. "I do, too. And not just because I'm carrying kits."

Tawnypaw looked up. "Something big is going to happen, sometime soon. Today, tomorrow, sometime soon."

Tallpoppy nodded, and yawned. "Yes, Tawnypaw. I feel it, too. Now, not trying to be rude, but could you please leave? I was up all night. These kits better come soon; they're starting to hurt."

Tawnypaw simply nodded, and left. She stood in the middle of the camp, the feeling of unsettlement boiling inside of her.

"Tawnypaw!"

Tawnypaw turned toward the apprentices' den, where Rowanpaw was making her way through the brambles.

"Want to go hunting?" she asked, licking paw and drawing it over an ear.

"Sure," Tawnypaw replied. "We just need to find our mentors."

"Our mentors aren't here," Rowanpaw meowed. "They went off somewhere with Tigerstar."

Tawnypaw shrugged, trying to act indifferent, but she felt sick. _Is that what I was feeling unsettled about?_

Tawnypaw and Rowanpaw made their way out of camp. Rowanpaw caught a few snakes, while Tawnypaw caught a lizard and two frogs. They were heading back to camp when a strange scent made Tawnypaw drop her prey and scent the air.

Rowanpaw dropped her prey, too. "What is it?" she hissed.

Tawnypaw closed her eyes. After a moment, they snapped open. "My father." She began to run in the direction of the scent, trying not to panic. _What is he doing?_

"Wait!" Rowanpaw called, but Tawnypaw ignored her. After a sprint through the pine forest, Tawnypaw stopped just on the edge of ShadowClan territory. If you kept going, you would find a Twolegplace. Tawnypaw took a few tentative steps over the border, then froze when she heard voices. She scampered up a tree so she could peer down upon the scene.

Tigerstar, Oakfur, and Jaggedtooth were speaking with these other cats. One was a small black tom, and the others Tawnypaw couldn't make out. But this confirmed her ominous feeling. Her father was planning something.

Tawnypaw fled to the camp, which didn't seem safe anymore. In desperation, she went to Tallpoppy, quickly woke her up, and told her everything.

Tallpoppy nodded. "I see. I suppose that does seem scary. But what are you going to do?"

Those seven words hit Tawnypaw like a wave. _But what are you going to do?_

What _could _she do?

**Okay, yeah. I'm still working on this, slowly but surely. I have SO many ideas, it's hard to keep track. But today's a typing day, I suppose, so...okay! REVIEW!**


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